Hey guys. Sorry for the disappearing act, but you all know how it goes sometimes. Anyway, some of you were probably more than happy for the break from me complaining about…whatever, but deep down in my heart, I know many of you were up at night, unable to sleep wondering about my general well-being. Just humour me here, I really need it.

So I’ve just spent the last half hour or so scanning some of the posts on the message board…what happened to the love at RF? Where’s the love? So much hate! To quote Denzel in He Got Game, “You gotta get some of that hate out of your heart.” Hating on each other, on TJ…(well, some of that may be justified), let’s all sit back and have a Courvoisier.

The anger towards TJ lately actually has just cause. Yeah, I said it. Anyone who has been on RF for any amount of time knows that I will always go to bat for a guy, trying to defend him because we really don’t know the whole story at any point, but TJ’s play lately has been embarrassing. Not only embarrassing regarding the kinds of selfish plays he is making, but embarrassing on the level that he is starting to make people REALLY question his character. Before, it was all speculation and to tell the truth, so is a good chunk of it now, but when you come out and take shot after shot after shot without even looking at any of your teammates (when you’re the point guard), then it’s time for you to sit. I’m all for the old TJ, where he relied on his speed to get defensive players off balance, where he brought an injection of speed into the game and used it to benefit the team, but right now, it’s all schoolyard…and bad schoolyard at that. Time for Sam to step up, have a serious conversation with him about his game, his life, the Raptors and how it is possible for his role to diminish even more if he doesn’t deal with things like a man. As poorly as TJ has been acting/playing, this is where strong coaching comes in. TJ CAN still be an effective part of this team. I’m not one of the people saying to send him out of town, let’s not be too harsh. Let’s try to get it sorted first, try to find a way to get him to accept the reality of the situation and then find a way to work into it.

There was some talk about the Raptors not having any toughness and Sam Mitchell being the toughest player on the team. Quite accurate. Props to Dutch for pointing that out (but I’m still watching Martine over you…well, for the first few minutes, then it’s over to The Score). But really, is this anything anybody who watches this team doesn’t know? Andrea nearly gets his head taken off and the Raptors act like it didn’t even happen. I’m not saying you have to go out and Brashear a guy (back in my Montreal days, I actually met that guy at Moe’s Deli & Bar…hands like meat hooks…the things are massive), but somebody has to get up in someone’s face at some point. It just tells the other team that you aren’t going to be pushed around.

Jamario Moon says that he doesn’t read scouting reports? WHA? I’m going to say that either, a) He is completely misguided; b) he hasn’t seen guys blowing past him lately with the same move or c) he can’t read.

In Boston, how long before Rajon Rondo starts feeling the pressure of a cagey vet like Sam I Am sitting behind him with the playoffs around the corner?

I don’t think I can remember a time when I have seen the Raptors have so many shots taken at inopportune moments. Let’s not pin all of that on TJ. Every Raptor player has been forcing a few too many lately.

AP on a turnaround fadeaway at the end of the game in overtime? That’s the play Sam drew up coming out of a timeout?